Andre Dubus III’s new book, Dirty Love, published by W. W. Norton, collects four long stories about love and betrayal. All the main characters are held in thrall somehow by sex or passion: the project manager who stalks his unfaithful wife and obsesses ragefully over her lover, the woman whose long-held virginity has become a point of shame and pride, the teenager haunted by a sexually explicit video that surfaces online. An editor from The New Republic called the book “electrifying” and described physically ripping out its pages so she could fit it in a crammed bookbag before a subway ride.

Dubus is the author of books including The House of Sand and Fog (a finalist for the National Book Award), The Garden of Last Days, and a Townie. We discussed infidelity and marriage vows, how to write convincingly about sex, and the ways his short stories find their proper form over time. We also talked about Dubus’s memories of growing up with his famous writer father, Andre Dubus, in Iowa City–where he watched Batman with Kurt Vonnegut as a boy–and how a literary upbringing influenced his career choice.

Can a boy whose adolescence is steeped in violence break the cycle and emerge a better, more empathetic man? Meet Andre Dubus III, bestselling author, son of a literary lion, and living proof that the cycle can be broken.

Listen to the interview with Andre Dubus III by clicking play below:

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Andre Dubus III on WGBH's Emily Rooney Show

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Photo: David Le
Local author Andre Dubus III stands outside the Tap Restaurant on Washington Street in downtown Haverhill. Dubus’ new book, “Townie,” focuses on Dubus’ childhood and growing up in Haverhill.

Becoming a writer helped Andre Dubus III forge a relationship with his father, but making himself completely whole took more. (Michele McDonald/ Globe Staff/ File 1992)

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Multimedia / Videos

Andre Dubus reading an excerpt from his "accidental" memoir, Townie, at ALA Midwinter 2011 in San Diego - View»

“House of Sand and Fog is a novel of terrible truths. Everyone here wants what we want—love, justice, a home—and all their good intentions collide, violently, inevitably, in a story of remarkable power and veracity and tenderness. Andre Dubus III has a keen and generous eye, and the great gift of bestowing dignity on even the most confused of his people. I cared for them all, and mourned their fates.”
--Tobias Wolff
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